Video Ergo Sum
by redeem
Summary: Bella's escape from us was a horrifying surprise.  For both me and Jasper.  And everyone knows that I am NEVER surprised.  Companion to Mistaken Escape, written for Eowyn's POV challenge.


11/09/2007 13:36:00

Video Ergo Sum

_Latin translation-I See Therefore I Am. _

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_I saw a strange, mirrored room with wooden floorboards that were sullied from age running across its length. While the reflections cast about the space were almost ghastly in appearance – foreboding even – as the blazing sun shown harshly through the stark windows. And hiding in one of the corners – it was hard to tell which – was a dark, shadowed figure. _

_Everything flashed and I saw Bella, sitting in the car, eyes closed, dreamy looking._

_Then came another, and it was of Bella dialing a phone number inside a brightly lit house. Tears were streaming down her face, and she was fumbling with the numbers on the keypad._

_The third flicker had shown Bella, running in the glaring, late afternoon sun. She was heading down a street called Cactus to a small shopping complex with a number of stores._

_Bella, walking into a mirrored room, with the shadowed figure suddenly appearing._

_Please God no!_

_James._

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It is very rare in my life that I am surprised.

In fact, I almost consider it a disappointment that I am hardly ever surprised. The unexpected is a part of life that makes it interesting, at least that's what I'm told. I can imagine that it would be great fun to come home one day and find something waiting for me that I hadn't already seen happen.

But the only times I am ever surprised, are when the consequences usually turn out for the worst.

This was one of those moments. First, it felt as if a dark cloud had descended over my Eyes, making me feel abandoned and confused. Next came the confusion; what did I do wrong this time so that something got past me? Then, and worst of all of the sensations, was the heinous, choking fear that grabbed me.

Because, as cliché as it sounds, without my Eyes, I cannot See, and when I cannot See, my world is empty.

_Why?_ Why did Bella do this to me? Doesn't she care about me at all, doesn't she understand that all Jazz and I want to do is look out for her? Protect her. _Why doesn't she understand that she isn't in any danger?_

Jasper had scared himself silly when she hadn't come out after almost ten minutes. He had called me over to him and asked if it was normal for human girls to stay in the bathroom for longer than this. When I walked into the bathroom, I felt the familiar squeeze and tug that my mind undergoes when being sent into the throes of a vision. And what I saw really and truly surprised me.

Jasper didn't even need me to tell him what I had seen. I assume he felt my shock and immediately knew what had happened. As I saw him race in the direction of Bella's scent like a madman, I stood still, paralyzed by the visions assaulting my mind, like ballistic missiles at first, but slowly fading away, until it was only a flash, an image, a whisper.

_I saw Bella running, at least it seemed, down the paved road, her expression terrified. Beads of sweat were forming on her forehead from the blazing sun overhead. _

_A series of flashes followed by a crunching sound, like that of glass breaking._

_It was the mirrored room again, there were huddled figures sitting around one particular object I could not see._

_I saw Jasper, picking up Bella's unique scent by the escalators and following it to the train station. Suddenly, he stopped, next to the pavement, his expression unreadable. _

_Then it was Edward, his face murderous, running toward us like he had no reason to live other than to destroy us. _

I decided I would have to worry about Edward later. What I needed to figure out was the disturbing vision of James. I walked back to the bench where I had been sitting, my expression glassy, dazed. Jasper was already there. He was pacing.

I relived the images again in my mind, again and again, as fresh as the moment they had come to me. Each time I saw them I was gripped by fear and self-doubt. Why didn't I see this coming?

I had no time to ponder. Edward was here, his face as murderous as I had Seen it. With one hand, he yanked Jasper's shirt and shoved him against the wall, pinning his tall body against the cold concrete.

"Where is she?" He growled through gritted teeth, a deep snarl forming in the back of his throat. "What have you done? How could you lose her?"

He pushed Jasper harder against the wall, making a larger dent in the concrete. I could do nothing. I could feel nothing. I was trapped.

Jasper squeezed his hands, undoubtedly trying to direct Edward's attention to his thoughts.

"You let her go by _herself_! I'm going to—"

Edward was suddenly trapped by two pairs of hands yanking him away from Jasper. Carlisle and Emmett, having seen him dash out of the plane, had followed as quickly as was "humanly" possible.

Humans. Humans and their funny ways. Humans and their connections to relationships…… OH GOD.

As soon as I thought it, I tore open my bag and searched frantically. Finally, I found it. The Letter. Bella's letter to her mother. Of course she would tell me to give it to her mother. Of course it was really for Edward; he'd be the first one to read it later. Of course. That girl was brilliant.

I ripped it open and my eyes traced over Bella's scrawl-like handwriting.

_Edward,_

_I love you. I am so sorry. He has my mom, and I have to try. I know_

_it may not work. I am so very, very sorry._

_Don't be angry with Alice and Jasper. If I get away from them it will_

_be a miracle. Tell them thank you for me. Alice especially, please._

_And please, please don't come after him. That's what he wants,_

_I think. I can't bear it if anyone has to be hurt because of me, especially _

_you. Please, this is the only think I can ask you now. For me._

_I love you. Forgive me._

_Bella_

I vaguely registered that as I was reading this; Edward had turned his attentions to Emmett and shoved him against the wall. The fury he felt was palpable. I didn't need Jasper's abilities to feel it. Grief and shock were consuming him.

Jasper and Carlisle pried him off Emmett and pinned his arms to his side. He couldn't fight them both. I saw that he clenched his fists, unwilling to back down.

It was then that I broke out of my reverie. I appeared in front of them, because I knew that if I didn't Edward was going to go on a destruction spree. His current plans were to run outside and tear the wings off of an airplane. Or worse. I could imagine him becoming quite creative.

"Edward, Bella is going to find James. He told her that he has her mother. She didn't want any of us to get hurt in the process, so she tricked Jasper so she could leave herself. She's only been gone a few minutes. I just read the letter she told me to leave you, explaining what happened."

I handed him the crumpled paper, and he snatched it away, his eyes moving at lightning speed.

Edward was unstable. I knew that simply from the myriad of plans he was making in his subconscious. The plane was only the beginning. Next he would run. He wasn't going to stop. His plans switched to finding a shovel and burying himself 20 feet underground. Then he wanted to try burying himself under the ocean floor. He wanted to crumple up and sob.

But most of all, he wanted revenge. When he got past the shock of losing the love of his life, he wasn't going to stop until he found what he was looking for. He was going to rip James apart himself. If it took him the rest of eternity, he would never stop hunting James.

He took one look at Jasper, who I could see was wincing in pain over Edward's volatile emotions. I was prepared to tackle Edward down myself, should he decide now was the time to take out his fury on the 737 two gates over.

But for the second time that day, I was surprised.

Because Edward did shoot off. Only, not in the direction I expected him to. Instead, he took a route… through the women's restroom.

_Edward, racing through the brawl of women, crying in surprise at his sudden entrance. _

_I saw him leaping onto the descending escalator, to reach the bottom floor. _

_He was standing at the corner of the station in the middle of the road, a few feet from the sidewalk. A bus pulled in behind him, the driver laid on the horn to persuade him to move off the road._

The four of us stood still for three, blisteringly long seconds, before we followed him. There he was, standing on the sidewalk, just off the side of the road. His face was void of all emotion, his eyes were blank. Dead.

And to this day, I have never seen such a heart-wrenching expression cross his face. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**AN-Many thanks to my wonderful beta Aine, Keeper of All Punctuation Knowledge, and Time-Sequence/Alice expert Extraordinaire.**

**Written for Eowyn's POV challenge, companion to **_**Mistaken Escape.**_


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